There are just fourteen stages left in Spain so the focus is increasingly on the direction that the route is taking as it makes its way towards the French border. The direct line from Madrid to Paris passes by Pamplona on the Spanish side of the border so it’s to be expected that Pamplona will be on or close to the route, especially as it lies close to the coast of the Bay of Biscay and hence offers a slightly easier route over the Pyrenees. This stage is a climber: it looks it on paper and it will definitely ride like it: there are two significant climbs during the stage and a steep rise up to the finish. In fact, the final mile suggests that the start of stage 764 will be a real challenge too.
The rollout is relatively calm as the route slides past the western fringe of Marchamalo and the fact that the road is running close to the Canal del Henares is a comforting thought. But that all changes after four miles once the CM-1008 has crossed over the Arroyo Duenas. The next mile and a half, as the road loops around Fontanar on the right, rises a hundred and fifty feet before descending back down to the canal as it passes through Yunquera de Henares. It’s in Yunquera de Henares that the CM-1008 gives way to the CM-101 for the next few miles.
That kicks off a much longer climb that becomes more difficult with each passing pedal stroke. the full climb stretches from nine to eleven and a half miles to the highest elevation of the stage just north of Mohernando where the road out of town joins the CM-101. As the route tacks north east, it begins a lumpy descent that loses all of the elevation gained on the previous climb. The road passes by Humanes at thirteen miles before continuing to descend to the Rio Sorbe just north of Residencial La Muela at sixteen miles.
With hills left and right, especially the ridge encroaching from the left, the road curves right with the river before straightening up to sixteen miles where a final left/right combination of bends takes the road to the finish up a steep climb into Cerezo de Mohernando.
Distance: 17 miles / 27 kilometres
Ascent: 787 feet / 240 metres
RGT Magic Road: gziLEmr2nhSW
Max elevation: 2500 ft
Min elevation: 2179 ft
Total climbing: 775 ft
Total descent: -509 ft
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